The Last Amateur (One Hour Photo)

(Self-released; US: 2008; UK: Unavailable)

John Doe: The Last Amateur (One Hour Photo)

What John Doe (of 1200 Hobos, not X) has thrown together with The Last Amateur (One Hour Photo) is a continuously flowing mix of music that should be embraced by partygoers and DJs alike. It’s a nostalgic journey for any music lover. He grabbed samples from all across the spectrum—from Atmosphere to Steve Miller Band to Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, which finds itself perfectly mashed-up with a verse by Pharoahe Monch. In particular, hip-hop heads will love hearing tracks like “La-Di-Da-Di” by Slick Rick, and Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm”. The nonstop barrage of beats and samples blend together with seamless transitions, showing off the DJ’s impeccable talent as well as his ear for sampling. And his scratching on “Step Up” and “Do or Die” is why compilations like this are made. The Last Amateur is even more proof that Doe is one of the genre’s best.

Weekly newspaper reporter by day, music reviewer by night (OK, and by day, too). When he's not writing for PopMatters, Andrew spends most of his time at online magazine Prefix and hip-hop site Potholes In My Blog.